Transportation

ATLANTA -- Crews will continue working on the Georgia 400/Interstate 85 interchange in Atlanta this weekend.

Georgia Department of Transportation engineer Shun Pringle said one lane in each direction will be closed from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily on Ga. 400 between I-85 and Peachtree Road. Drivers will also see delays on Cheshire Bridge Road, Sidney Marcus Boulevard and the Buford-Spring Connector.

But it all depends on the weather.

"With some rain expected on Saturday, I'm not sure how much (contractors) will be able to accomplish," Pringle said in a statement.

Sweeping, bridge and utility work, and drain cleaning will occur on I-20, I-75, I-85, I-285 and I-575 throughout the weekend. All projects will be completed overnight and will result in occasional closures.

ATLANTA -- The Georgia Department of Transportation has not scheduled much roadwork for this weekend.

Rain resulting from Tropical Storm Karen could move through metro Atlanta on Sunday and cancel any existing projects as well.

"We have single right lane closures planned for both directions on I-285 on the east side between Cascade and MLK and one on (Georgia) 400 southbound at Hammond Drive but the weather may change those plans," said GDOT Metro District Construction Engineer Shun Pringle.

Work will also continue on the I-85/Georgia 400 Interchange project, which could result in lane closures on Buford Highway, Sidney Marcus Boulevard, Cheshire Bridge Road and Lenox Road.

"We didn't really plan to avoid work on the interstates this weekend. It just turned out that the contractors didn't schedule any," said Georgia Department of Transportation Metro District Construction Engineer Shun Pringle. "We will likely be back out there next weekend though."

A few interstate projects are still in the works. On I-285, maintenance crews will close two rights lanes from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. nightly to replace concrete slabs. Those closures will happen southbound from Cascade Road to Langford Parkway and northbound from Hollowell Parkway to South Cobb Drive.

ATLANTA -- Just in time for Labor Day weekend, the Georgia Department of Transportation has begun producing a series of educational videos aimed to promote safe driving and cut down on the number of fatalities on state highways.

The initiative is part of the Federal Highway Administration's Toward Zero Deaths campaign.

Georgia drivers are already making progress in decreasing the number of traffic-related deaths. Last year, 549 fewer people died on state roads than in 2005.

"We are gratified by the continuing progress being made in reducing fatal accidents on Georgia highways, especially so as we approach another travel-heavy holiday weekend," GDOT commissioner Keith Golden said in a statement. "One death is too many, however. This educational video outreach is part of our overall effort."

The video series, called DriveSmart, encourages motorists to cut out all distractions while behind the wheel.

(WXIA) -- Summer 2013, as reported by the Governor's Office of Highway Safety, makes ten years in a row that police are bumping up the number of patrols throughout Georgia - to crack down on dangerous driving.

Katie Fallon, spokeswoman for the GOHS said the boost in patrol is part of the 100 Days of Summer H.E.A.T. (Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic) campaign. It is a strategy in which all jurisdictions of highway safety enforcement work to reduce aggressive, high-speed travel and driving under the influence. During the summer months, accidents happen from these two bad driving habits.

"Temperatures won't be the only thing making the heat rise this summer," Director Harris Blackwood said. "From drunk drivers to aggressive speeders, all unsafe motorists will be feeling the H.E.A.T."